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I am so excited to see everyone's responses! When I was eventing back in the day I can remember everyone loving my little horse but being worried if he could make it around some of the cross country courses! I guess I have just become a worry wart in my old age. I have experienced quite a lot of the "judgemental attitude" in other areas of horsey sports where I currently live and was skeptical as to how much I would receive in the Hunter/Jumper world. Y'all have definitely made me feel better!

You will still get some looks, as shows are a place some like to look down upon others in general. But you will also find a lot of nice people who love your horse. And there is nothing like the feeling of doing well on the unconventional horse/pony! Enjoy it.

There are certainly some people who will look down on you, OP, but that just makes it all the more fun to beat them.

On the other hand, over the yeras I had I don't know how many people stopped me to say how much they enjoyed watching my ponies go against the big horses, and that they always tried to get to the ring when they heard they were coming up in the order. A certain level of notoriety can be fun -- standing out like that can get you your very own cheering section.

I do! I have. 15.3h TB so we are on the "big" end of vertically challenged! We get comments occasionally, mostly because my guy thinks he's actually 17.2 with the stride to match! He is a very game horse who can certainly attract some attention.. The only issue is the a big fence looks really BIG on a small horse!

OP, at 5'6" you make me jealous. I am vertically 'over endowed' and I would kill to be able to ride and jump little buggers. 17.2hh is about where I start to look like I have enough horse under me..... Which is irritating.

I would give my right arm (ok, maybe just the left...) to be able to make $ in ponies. I could have my pick of cheap-o midget OTTBs too.

Laura Chapot has done well with the Honda Civic hatchback sized model of jumper. Be happy you can cash in on the jumping potential of the tiny titans.

OP, at 5'6" you make me jealous. I am vertically 'over endowed' and I would kill to be able to ride and jump little buggers. 17.2hh is about where I start to look like I have enough horse under me..... Which is irritating.

I would give my right arm (ok, maybe just the left...) to be able to make $ in ponies. I could have my pick of cheap-o midget OTTBs too.

Laura Chapot has done well with the Honda Civic hatchback sized model of jumper. Be happy you can cash in on the jumping potential of the tiny titans.

My first jumper was a 14.2 hand Appaloosa

This was back when they calcutta'd the jumpers at App Shows. The first show she cost in the auction $.25 (Yes, a quarter), the second time was either $.50 or $.75. After that I couldn't afford to buy her, too many people knew what she was capable of.

She showed in a Double Twisted wire snaffle and running martingale just to have a semblance of control. She went to the App Worlds in 1972 and took 6th place in Open Jumpers.

And he was a super boy who did his first 1.10 meter class 2 weeks ago at the TB Celebration show in Virginia.

He really doesn't care about height. And he is not the smallest I have had.

I had a lovely 15. 1/2" mare who evented with me through Prelim, ran in Point to Points, and did jumper shows. I only have a couple non- copyrighted pics of her, In this case the photographer is a FB friend and gave me permission to share it.